Title Promoter Affiliations Abstract "Daring to speak love’s name. Collaborative strategies of queer intellectuals in Belgium, France and the Netherlands between 1885 and 1910." "David Gullentops" "Centre for Literary and Intermedial Crossings, Linguistics and Literary Studies, Brussels Institute for Applied Linguistics" "This project aims to contribute to queer literary history by analysing transnational collaborative strategies of queer intellectuals in France, Belgium and the Netherlands between 1885 and 1910. My hypothesis is that writers such as André Gide, Georges Eekhoud and Jacob Israël De Haan used different collaborative strategies in order to influence attitudes towards queer love. Whereas prior research has mainly focused on the role of scientific theories in changing perceptions of queer love in the fin de siècle, this project aims to shift the focus to the collaborative strategies of five queer intellectuals that attempted to change public discourse through their literary and cultural writings. It aims to (1) study their collaborations (e.g. joint publications, journal contributions and private associations) and map the networks of queer intellectuals through archival research on ego documents such as diaries and correspondence; and (2) assess the role of these writers in attempting to influence public discourse on same-sex love by carrying out an in-depth study of their published literary works and periodical articles. By asking which collaborative strategies the selected literary authors adopted and with whom, this project will re-contextualise well-known queer authors and bring to light forgotten gay activists in Europe. It will show how structural literary collaboration was a game-changer in the struggle for equal rights for same-sex love at the turn of the 20th century" "Ambiguity in the positions of political parties: what causes it and how does it affect voters’ party preferences?" "Silvia Erzeel" "Political Science" "Ambiguity is widespread in politics: parties often obscure their true positions, give inconsistent signals, or simply remain silent to avoid taking a clear stance on a policy issue. Such ambiguity challenges democracy, as it prevents clarity in what policies parties pursue once in office and it blocks citizens from casting an informed vote. Yet, we only have fragmented and contradictory evidence on what causes party ambiguity and how it affects voters’ political preferences. The project innovates in three ways. (1) it reconceptualizes party ambiguity as a multidimensional phenomenon: ambiguity occurs when a party remains silent on its position on a specific issue, provides vague rather than precise information on its position, and is inconsistent in the positions it takes. (2) it theorizes and tests what causes parties to take an ambiguous stance and how this varies across context, parties, public opinion and issues, and (3) it investigates the consequences of ambiguity on voters’ party preferences. To achieve these goals, the project relies on a content analysis of party messaging in Belgium during a 22-year period (2003 -2024), complemented by experiments with voters to assess how ambiguity affects their preferences in a controlled setting. In doing so, the project sheds clarity on ambiguity by advancing our understanding of what party ambiguity is, what causes it, and what it does to the public." "Development, validation and application of a novel foot-ankle model to evaluate ligament behaviour in patients with ankle instability" "Ilse Jonkers" "Biomechanics Section, Human Movement Biomechanics Research Group" "Ankle sprain is one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries, often resulting in lateral ankle ligament tears or ruptures. Thirty to fifty percent of the patients develop chronic ankle instability (CAI) after a first ankle sprain, including persistent complaints of pain, swelling and/or the feeling of giving way in combination with recurrent sprains. CAI may be caused by mechanical (MAI) or functional ankle instability (FAI) or a combination of both. MAI is the result of factors altering the mechanics of one or more joints of the foot-ankle complex (e.g. ligament injury) and FAI is caused by insufficient proprioception, neuromuscular control, postural control or strength. The anterior drawer and talar tilt test are frequently used to evaluate MAI based on the amount of anterior displacement and lateral tilt of the talus. However, there is no method to analyse the isolated effect of ligament injuries on ankle and subtalar joint kinematics in vivo. For the evaluation of FAI, clinical studies often use the AOFAS questionnaire to evaluate pain, feeling of instability and hindfoot function during gait. In research applications, proprioception and muscle strength have been quantified using different methods. In addition, the effect of CAI on foot-ankle function has been analysed during different movements in terms of joint kinematics, joint kinetics and/or muscle activity using integrated 3D motion analysis. In contrast, studies on the lateral ligament behaviour, in terms of ligament strain or forces, are still limited to the evaluation of ligament strains during analytical ankle positions. As the lateral ligaments play a major role in ankle stability, there is a need to better document the role of the different ligaments on the control of foot-ankle kinematics and of the effect of ligament injuries on foot-ankle function in general during dynamic movements.Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to develop and evaluate in vivo methods to objectively evaluate the biomechanical consequences of mechanical and functional ankle instability and their effect on foot-ankle function during different movements representative for daily life and sport activities in healthy participants and in patients suffering from CAI. In order to achieve this overall goal, the work was divided in three main objectives: (1) In vitro evaluation of the dynamic role of the individual lateral ligaments in controlling foot-ankle kinematics during simulated gait (study 1), (2) method development for dynamic evaluation of the biomechanical consequences of mechanical and functional ankle instability in vivo (study 2, 3 and 4) and (3) in vivo evaluation of mechanical and functional ankle instability and their effect on dynamic ligament behaviour, musculoskeletal function and joint loading during dynamic movements in CAI patients (study 5).Firstly, the individual role of the lateral ligaments in controlling foot-ankle kinematics was evaluated during simulated gait in vitro (study 1). Kinematics of the ankle, subtalar, tibiocalcaneal, talonavicular and calcaneocuboid joint were compared between five different conditions measured in vitro during a simulation of the stance phase of gait, imposed by the gait-simulator: intact foot, isolated anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) resection, combined ATFL and calcaneofibular ligament (CFL) resection, combined ATFL-CFL suture tape reconstruction and isolated ATFL suture tape reconstruction. The ligament resections mainly changed the kinematics in the hindfoot joints in all movement directions (inversion/eversion, internal/external rotation and plantar/dorsiflexion), but additional changes in kinematics in the midfoot joints were also observed. In general, the combined ATFL-CFL reconstruction restored motion in the hind- and midfoot joints (mainly in inversion/eversion) immediately after surgery more than the isolated ATFL reconstruction. Despite this positive effect, CFL reconstruction is not always considered, given its location underneath the peroneal tendons and close to the sural nerve. Overall, this study provided information on the unique contribution of the ATFL and CFL to hind- and midfoot kinematics control during simulated gait in vitro.Secondly, the use of 4D CT scanning in combination with a foot manipulator, to evaluate in vivo the isolated effect of lateral ligament injury on foot-ankle kinematics during simulated gait, was validated (study 2). Thereafter, the use of this method to detect clinically relevant changes in kinematics was evaluated in CAI patients. The participant’s foot was attached to the foot bed of the foot manipulator and it imposed a combined inversion/eversion and plantar/dorsiflexion movement to the foot during which the foot-ankle kinematics were acquired using 4D CT scanning. First, a cadaveric experiment was performed to validate the sensitivity of hind- and midfoot joint kinematics to different loading magnitudes, showing that different loading magnitudes did not affect the dynamically induced kinematics. Then, the representativeness of the simulated stance phase to normal weight-bearing gait was validated by comparing the kinematics from the 4D CT measurement to the kinematics measured during in vivo weight-bearing walking with bone pins. These results confirmed that the foot manipulator allowed simulating a gait-like movement. Finally, changes in hind- and midfoot joint kinematics in CAI patients were documented, showing the isolated effect of ligament ruptures in vivo. An ATFL rupture resulted in higher ankle inversion and external rotation and subtalar internal rotation. In conclusion, this study resulted in a validated set-up to evaluate individual foot bone kinematics during simulated gait in vivo, which can be used to evaluate the unique contribution of ligaments to the control of foot-ankle kinematics in vivo.Thirdly, the performance of a new foot-ankle musculoskeletal model was evaluated taking advantage of the combination of musculoskeletal modelling and 3D motion capture as a window of opportunity to evaluate ligament behaviour during dynamic movements. More specific, the effect of integrating the lateral ankle ligaments and incorporating the subtalar degree of freedom, next to the ankle joint in a detailed foot-ankle musculoskeletal model on the calculated muscle force distribution, ankle joint loading and validity of the calculated muscle activity was evaluated (study 3). First, lateral ligament forces were calculated during the different movements and these were in line with ligament function reported in literature. In addition, increasing the degree of freedom and integrating the lateral ankle ligaments resulted in higher peak ankle joint contact force given a decreased contribution of the m. peroneus longus, m. soleus, m. gastrocnemius lateralis and m. gastrocnemius medialis, but increased contribution of the m. tibialis posterior, also in line with the lateral ankle ligament function. Finally, the validity of the calculated muscle activity was evaluated by comparing to measured muscle activity using electromyography, indicating small, but inconsistent differences (both improved and deteriorated estimations of lower leg muscle activity) with increasing musculoskeletal model complexity during most movements. Future studies can use the 2DOF MSM with ligaments to analyse lateral ligament behaviour in chronic ankle instability patients where a second degree of freedom is crucial to accurately assess calcaneofibular ligament strain consequent to ankle and subtalar joint movement.Fourthly, peak lateral ligament strain and a new ligament loading index were calculated during movements representative of daily life and sport activities (more specific: walking, running, single leg stance with and without visual feedback, stair descending and ascending, anterior and medio-lateral single leg hops, forward and sideward lunges and vertical drop jumps) in healthy volunteers (study 4) to explore to what extent the lateral ligaments were loaded during these movements. Peak lateral ligament strain and a ligament loading index were calculated using the musculoskeletal modelling workflow in combination with 3D motion capture data of the movements. The ligament loading index combines the strain magnitude and duration and magnitude of the combined ankle and subtalar joint moment in one metric to not only account for risky ankle joint position, but also for the external loading as literature showed an ankle sprain is often a result from the combination of both. All three ligaments had the highest ligament loading index during vertical drop jumps, medio-lateral single leg hops and running. Additionally, the ATFL loading was high during stair descending, the CFL loading during single leg stance without visual feedback and the PTFL loading during anterior single leg hops. Peak lateral ligament strains were the highest during vertical drop jumps, sideward lunges, stair descending and running. Based on these results, activities were classified according to the ligament loading index and peak strain, thereby providing objective data for ankle sprain prevention.Finally, MAI, FAI and the effect of CAI on foot-ankle function was evaluated in a cohort of CAI patients and compared to healthy volunteers (study 5) using the methods developed in study 2, 3 and 4. Ligament behaviour and ankle joint loading were evaluated during a variety of movements as biomarkers of ankle sprain risk and risk for ankle osteoarthritis development. The CAI patients showed lower ligament and ankle joint loading during explosive movements, mainly caused by the combination of lower ligament strains and lower ankle plantarflexion and subtalar inversion moments. No differences in ligament and ankle joint loading were observed for the other movements. Furthermore, no task dependent kinematic changes were found in the CAI patients during these explosive movements, but overall, they had higher trunk bending towards the injured leg, higher hip external rotation and higher hip abduction. In addition, a higher hip internal rotation moment and higher ankle plantarflexion moment were observed. Although some overall changes could be observed, also large differences between patients were found for MAI, FAI and foot-ankle function during the dynamic movements. Nevertheless, these interpatient differences resulted in lower ligament and ankle joint loading during explosive movements which reduces the risk for recurrent ankle sprains during these movements.Overall, this thesis contributed to an objective evaluation of the dynamic ligament behaviour in vivo during dynamic movements. The unique contribution of the lateral ligaments to the control of foot-ankle kinematics was evaluated in vitro and in vivo and the ligament behaviour and ankle joint loading was analysed during dynamic movements in vivo. To do so, two new set-ups were validated (4D CT scanning in combination with foot manipulator and the extended foot-ankle musculoskeletal model with lateral ligaments), to provide unique insights for the (pre- and post-operative) evaluation and treatment optimisation of hindfoot pathologies in vivo.  " "Towards a theory of European constitutional interpretation. A transatlantic dialogue." "André Alen" "Institute for Constitutional Law, Research Unit Public Law, Institute for Human Rights" "TOWARDS A THEORY OF EUROPEAN CONSTITUTIONAL INTERPRETATION. A TRANSATLANTIC DIALOGUE.BackgroundAmerican Legal Realism. Former Supreme Court Justice Holmes' contention that the 'life of the law has not been logic: it has been experience' has resonated for over a century in American constitutional scholarship. Indeed, the school known as American Legal Realism (ALR), criticizing the 'transcendental nonsense' (K. Llewelyn) of classical Begriffsjurisprudenz has exerted a lasting influence on American legal thought. Although most American scholars would not agree with some of the more extreme realist contentions, caricatured in assertions like the law is determined by what the judge had for breakfast, a majority does share the distrust of the application of some mechanisms of logic (in particular, the syllogism) to law, and acknowledges that the U.S. Supreme Court (SC) makes political decisions in some cases, or at least that politics matter in constitutional adjudication.European realism? In Europe, however,a similar evolution cannot be traced. Surely, Europe has created its own critics of rigorous deductive legal thought: the proponents of Interessenjurisprudenz (Von Jhering, Gény) tried to descend from the the 'heaven of legal concepts' and more recently, different scholars have enrichedthe critical tradition - to mention a few: Perelman, Sacco, Esser, Scholten, ter Heyde, Van Gerven. A handful of scholars in Scandinavia were even coined Legal Realists (Hägerström, Ross). Nonetheless, '(c)ontinental legal theory is uncannily 'other' for an American' (D. Kennedy, Critique of Adjudication, p. 92). An interesting question thereforeis whether contemporary European legal thought can accommodate the challenged proposed to classical (European) legal thought by ALR and its progeny.An important academic query. If European legal thought does not succeed in accommodating these insights, the question arises whether it is able to adequately represent the judicial process. This question is not only important from a jurisprudential or philosophical perspective, it also has practical ramifications, not least for the balance between legal certainty and judicial flexibility and the related question of how judges should decide concrete cases. Even more fundamentally, the legitimacy of the judiciary itself is at stake. The understanding of judicial interpretation lies at the heart of what our Rechtsstaat is, and at the foundation of what the law itself is, can and should be.Accordingly, the question raised in this project is whether European legal thought can and has sufficiently and adequately responded to the challenges of ALR and its progeny. However, the primary purpose of this project is not to develop a general jurisprudential theoryof adjudication. Therefore, a twofold limit on the object of analysis has been developed, together with some restrictions pertaining to the authors representing the approach of my inquiry. Taking account of the aforementioned restrictions, I will nonetheless endeavor to reconstruct a European theory of interpretation.LimitationsObject: constitutional adjudication. To begin with, I will focus only on constitutional adjudication. In chapters two and three, I will further curtail the scope of research to the case law on the right to freedom of speech. This will allow me to approach my subject both systematically - that is, applying a range of theoretical thoughts to a particularresearch object - and comprehensively - that is, as a research object receptive to complete and independent analysis. The systematic nature of the approach is further enhanced by the choice of four Europeanconstitutional courts: the German Constitutional Court (BVerfG), the French Constitutional Council (FCC), the Belgian Constitutional Court (BCC) and one of the Constitutional Courts in Eastern Europe. Whereas the BVerfG appears to be a 'natural' choice, as it is widely recognized to have developed a substantial theoretical framework on the basis of which it conducts its jurisprudential analysis, opting for the HCC, the BCCand the FCC might require some further explanation. Even if the BCC andthe FCC are harder to analyze in terms of interpretive theory, these two Courts were chosen for methodological reasons. It is to be expected that because of their continental civil law background, the thrust of ALR cannot be easily parried in their jurisprudence. An extra Eastern European Court, for its part, is analyzed because of the (possibly) distinct features as a constitutional court in a post-communist country: currently, the Hungarian Constitutional Court is the first choice, both for practical reasons (e.g. the availability of translations), and for reasons ofa more contentious nature (e.g. the Court often having been perceived as 'activist').Approach: ALR, Dworkin and Critical Legal Studies. When subjecting European constitutional jurisprudence to thelegal realist challenges, I will not only rely on ALR classics (e.g. Dewey, Llewelyn, Cohen, Frank), but alos on two post-realist jurisprudential strands, i.e. the Dworkinian line of thought and the Critical Legal Studies (CLS) movement (e.g. Kennedy, Tushnet). Although both strands offer widely diverging claims on constitutional adjudication, they undoubtedly are both children of ALR in their skepticism towards rules (which does, however, not imply general skepticism in Dworkin's case). The insights of these American scholars will be tested against conventional doctrinal analysis of European free speech jurisprudence, which I intend to embed in Robert Alexy's jurisprudential account of constitutional rights, which will form the European jurisprudential backdrop against which the conventional doctrinal analyses of free speech cases is conducted.An original hypothesis.Hypothesis. The dissertations contends that European free speech jurisprudence fails to theoretically accommodate some of the insights produced by ALR. Although nuanced authors, such as Robert Alexy or Klaus Günther, have tried to remedy this lack of accommodation, they have not succeeded in breaking the 'positivist' hegemony over constitutional interpretation in this area. By implication, this could be a vice the entirety of European constitutional adjudication may be suffering from, thus rendering conventional scholarship on constitutional interpretation deficient. For that reason, I will offer some thoughts striving for a rejuvenated European theory of constitutional interpretation.Originality. The approach in this dissertation is innovative, or at least original, in three different respects. The project first tries to occupy a relatively unexplored nichebetween legal theory and constitutional law. Although much has been written about constitutional adjudication in general,l free speech within constitutional adjudication, and interpretation in legal theory, this dissertation investigates a specific area of constitutional adjudication, i.e. free speech adjudication, which creates a comprehensive body of analysis, amenable to systematic theoretical inquiry. Second, the interdisciplinary approach is radical, in that although classical doctrinal tools will be used, my analyses will also rely on other disciplines, not limited to the legal field and thus establish my dissertation as a profoundlymulti-faceted product. Third, and related to the second point, the substance of the examination  is innovative to the extent that it is duly inspired by ALR, a strand of thought often thought useless for, or atleast inapplicable to, European jurisprudence.Outline andmethodologyMy dissertation will be informed by what has been called a reconstructive methodology (cf. Ricoeur, Gadamer, Habermas). However, an inquiry into jurisprudence itself, and particularly one into interpretation, confronts the problem of methodology being interwoven with more 'substantive' issues. Therefore, the methodological remarks one can find in each chapter description, particularly those in chaptersthree and four, where the methodological issues are most challenging, are a boiled down version of the extensive elaboration of this reconstructive methodology which I purport to offer in the dissertation itself.Chapter I: Institutional and Constitutional Differences. The issue addressed in the first chapter range from typically constitutional(procedural) matters, such as jurisdiction, standing, legal consequences, etc. to more general legal-political matters, such as composition andappointment, legal decision-making processes, and position of the constitutional court within the broader political structure of the states involved. A similar, more summary, analysis will be undertaken for the SC and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) for, although they are notthe focus of the broader analysis of this dissertation, a basic understanding of their structure is warranted as, on the one hand, SC case-law will often become an indirect benchmark against which different theoriesof interpretation in the third chapter will be tested and, on the other hand, the case-law of the ECtHR is thought to have had pervasive effectson constitutional jurisprudence.Unsurprisingly, this chapter adoptsa procedural, but also politico-legal method, trying to reach a structural institutional understanding, which is necessary, for it is arguably an important factor in assessing different modes of interpretation, and more precisely in understanding how European legal thought has not been influenced to the same extent by ALR as American legal thought. In accordance therewith, the European model might be able to sidestep some ALR challenges early on in the analysis.Chapter II: Free Speech Doctrine. The second chapter will be constitutionally analytical in nature, and accordingly adopt a classical doctrines (i.e. legal dogmatics in the Alexyan sense) perspective. Here, I will systematically and in some detail set out the case-law as regards freedom of expression of the four courts under review. More precisely, I will investigate the scope, the limits and the general outline of the right to freedom of expression in European constitutional adjudication. To the extent that the constitutional courts rely on ECtHR jurisprudence, this case-law will be elaborated and commented upon. Far less in detail, I will outline the SC First Amendment jurisprudence on free speech, as a familiarity with the case-law will be necessary for a better understanding of the third chapter.Chapter III: Free Speech Interpretation. The third chapter is divided into three main sections.The first section will offer an analysis of the state of scholarship with regard to constitutional interpretation, not only in Europe, but also in the United State, covering, albeit summarily, the aforementioned theoretical strands. The second sectionwill put the European jurisprudence to the test. It will assess the adequacy of free speech doctrine, primarily as conceived in Alexyan jurisprudential terms. Here, I will examine which particular U.S. insights are missing in the Alexyan account and whether the alleged shortfalls need to be remedied. If so, I will inquire whether such an attempt has been made, and if so, whether the offered theoretical remedies are adequate. Inthe final section, I turn to the cases. Accordingly, the central issue here will be which particular American insights are apparently importantin light of European free speech cases and nonetheless missing in European jurisprudence. Methodologically, a myriad of perspectives is taken up here. The first section is to that extent descriptive, that it described what the theories I investigate are claiming (even if these claims are evaluative). Nonetheless, in building up their respectivetheories, (mostly implicit) normative presuppositions had an important role to play: it will be my undertaking in the second section then, not only to analyze the extent to which American insights have been ignored by Alexyan theory, but also to point out why he has in fact ignored them. In this reconstruction, I will take both institutional and jurisprudential factors into account. Nonetheless, I am bound to reach the outer corners of jurisprudence as an explanatory device and will therefore turn to the systematized case-law in the third section, where the different theories are held 'as constants' while I analyze to what extent the case-law itself (and its own normative presuppositions) can accommodate the raised American challenges. My third chapter thus reads theory and case-law through the lens of a legal reconstructive method.Chapter IV: towards a theory of European constitutional interpretation. My fourth, most ambitious chapter then purports to substantiate the title of my dissertation. I will first investigate whether it is possible to construe an adequate representation of constitutional practice of the four European Constitutional Courts. To accomplish this task, I explain whether and why it is possible to expand the scope of the inquiry, digging, albeit in a fragmentary fashion, into question such as: is free speech a special case? Can constitutional adjudicative theory be generalized from a theoretical perspective at all? What is interpretation? In the end, I will try to offer some thoughts on a more adequate theory of European constitutional adjudication in general, which duly takes the insights of ALR into account.Methodologically, one could say that this chapter offers a philosophical hermeneutic of the European judicial process, adjudication included, which allows me to take up an explicitly normative stance, i.e. evaluating particular normative presuppositions laid bare in the previous chapter(s). I will try to offer an account of what Dworkin would call the best interpretation of interpretation. At the same time however, this chapter is tentative, because in further my normative claims, I will collide with philosophical issues similar to those in the second section of the previous chapter, in particular with the problem of philosophical entanglement of method and substance. This is an issue I do not intend to solve, but I will offer some thought on it, particularly inrelation with the jurisprudential reach of my own reconstruction of European interpretation. " "Re-assessing Human Agency in a More-Than-Human World. Towards a New Materialist Anthropology." "Herbert De Vriese" "Center for European Philosophy" "In what way should we conceive of the material world as the source of normativity, interconnectivity, and value? How does the recognition that non-human entities have agency enable ethical motivation? How should we conceive of the human agent when her exceptional status has done so much damage? These questions take centre stage in new materialist theory, but are paradoxically accommodated for in relation to an implicit and weak anthropological framework. The paradox resides in (1) an ethical dimension implicated in an ontological revaluation of reality wherein the human agent is simultaneously deprived from its superior agential capacity, yet manifestly addressed as the very being who has to take up a specific stance towards the material world; (2) in the way this human agent is ultimately addressed in order to respond more adequately to issues in the ethico-political realm: through a limited set of capacities at odds with the normative appeal of the very ethico-political issues new materialists pursue. This project addresses and overcomes this double paradox by developing a strong anthropological framework that is both more consistent with new materialism's own theoretical commitments and thereby potentially reinforces its normative pursuit. This framework is outlined as a new materialist anthropology." "Beyond compliance: Assessing the Impact of Provisional and Precautionary Measures in Protecting Detainees in Central-America" "Clara Burbano Herrera" "Department of European, Public and International Law" "Precautionary measures (PMs) are granted by regional and international human rights bodies to protect persons who are in a situation of extreme danger. In Central America, these measures are overwhelmingly granted to at-risk detainees who face risks to their right to life, integrity and/or health. When a PM is granted, the State is required to provide detainees with immediate access to food, drinking water, fresh air, medical care or natural light. PMs have the potential to save lives, requiring immediate State action for the protection of vulnerable populations. Despite the fact that PMs have been issued on thousands of occasions, any academic studies that exist on the matter focus on a doctrinal analysis of compliance, failing to pay heed to the practical effectiveness of these measures on the ground. In light of these shortcomings, the aim of my proposed research is to move beyond traditional legal research and to take a broad socio-legal stance, analysing the effectiveness of PMs de facto, with the ultimate goal of maximising their practical protective effect. In light of the findings, this PhD project will develop a critical normative legal impact framework for PMs in order to produce a framework with practical societal effectiveness, ensuring that international human rights law is not simply aspirational but is practical and effective. Overall, this project seeks to improve the robustness of international law to produce a meaningful impact." "Advocacy for Migrants in European Transit Zones. Analysing Innovative Strategies for Political Change." "Robin Vandevoordt" "Department of European, Public and International Law, Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy" "A rising number of migrants are ‘stranded’ in so-called ‘transit zones’ across Europe. Most governments try to deter migrants from dwelling in these transit zones, by putting in place a series of repressive policies, e.g. by destroying tents and shelters. This does not deter migrants, but pushes them into ever more destitute living conditions. In response, citizen collectives and established NGOs try to put pressure on their governments, to change migrants’ living conditions within these transit zones. This project investigates the impact of these advocacy initiatives within three such transit zones, and the policies leading up to them: Brussels, Calais, and the Aegean islands. We examine which advocacy strategies have been successful, and why this has been the case. We also draw particular attention to how the appearance of citizen collectives has changed the overall landscape of humanitarian aid within these transit zones: to what extent have they led to fruitful collaborations between NGOs and citizens collectives? And have they pushed NGOs into taking a more openly critical stance towards their governments? Through a combination of document analysis, interviews and case studies, this project will contribute to scholarly debates on the innovative nature of advocacy strategies used by citizen collectives, and on the effectiveness of advocacy in contributing to political change in migration policies." "Catering pre-insolvency restructurings for the needs of SMEs: Belgium (1850-1910)" "Dave De Ruysscher" "Metajuridica, Contextual Research in Law" "Insolvency law and practice have not often been studied for its responsiveness towards differences in the corporate finance structure of firms. As a result, SMEs have not often been the focus of insolvency legislation. It remains to a large extent open for research as to what extent pre-insolvency proceedings, which are aimed at corporate rescue, should address the specific characteristics of SMEs. In this regard, the Belgian situation between 1850 and 1910 is most important. In 1851 and 1883, pre-insolvency proceedings were introduced that were aimed at continuity of business instead of liquidation. This proposal hypothesizes that this shift was due to a rise in numbers of SMEs, and to their features of financing (debt over equity, few financiers, closely held management). These properties made the existing insolvency proceedings (judicial and extrajudicial) unfit. It will be found out to what extent forensic practice, as well as commercial practice were addressing the specific problems of SMEs in financial distress. The proposed project will have a profound impact on debates regarding corporate insolvency, which often take generalizing stances. Differentiation according to the size of business ventures, and their respective qualities, is assumed to be as relevant today as it was in the past." "Ethics With or Without Ontology: The Taylor-Putnam Debate." "Guy Vanheeswijck" "Center for Ethics, Center for European Philosophy" "Is the attribution of value compatible with the physical, biological, and psychological explanations of the empirical sciences? The philosophical reflection on this question is often divided into two approaches: ""naturalistic"" doctrines that take empirical science as our best guide to understanding reality and ""hermeneutical"" views, which argue that the empirical sciences do not provide human beings with their primary and most significant access to the world. This project explores a novel form of ethics in between hermeneutical and naturalistic approaches by confronting Charles Taylor's moral philosophy with the pragmatist ethics of Hilary Putnam. On the one hand, their shared concern is that crucial features of human life – especially moral ones – precisely disappear by adopting a scientific stance. On the other hand, Taylor and Putnam are of different minds on the question of how to defend the autonomy of morality with regard to empirical science. The Taylor-Putnam debate starts from the observation that most people are reluctant to embrace naturalism fully and yet remain highly skeptical of all things that do not fit the naturalist model. Reflecting on this debate, this project develops a position that does not assume that the autonomy of morality must be defended from within a naturalistic framework. Instead, it seeks to show that the most fundamental problems of ethics and ontology arise in the border regions between hermeneutical and naturalistic approaches." "Mozi and Yang Zhu from Heretics to Philosophers: Caught in a New Web? The Genealogy of ""Chinese Philosophy"" in Three Major Steps." "Carine Defoort" "Chinese Studies, Leuven" "Before the introduction of philosophy in China, the two figures Mozi and Yang Zhu were treated as the stereotypical heretics in the Chinese tradition: Mozi (5th c. BCE) was the extreme altruist without respect for family priorities; Yang Zhu (4th c. BCE) was the extreme egoist without any sense of political responsibility. Since their rehabilitation as “Chinese philosophers” in the 20th century, they have been portrayed with newly coined neologisms, as founders of schools, and associated with writings and with consistent doctrines, that are presented as valuable for the Chinese nation and the whole world. One century after their liberation from an age old orthodoxy, they find themselves caught in another web, confined within the frames of a rather stringent discipline, namely that of “Chinese philosophy.” Some scholars have questioned this interpretation of master-texts and have argued for a return to indigenous frames of interpretation. Without taking a stance between westernization and indigenization, this project diminishes the constraints of the philosophical frame by making it visible. It documents the genealogy of “Chinese philosophy” through these two figures in three major epochs: its incubation in the dynastic era (16-19th c), its birth in the Republican era (early 20th c), and its turbulent growth in the Communist period (mid 20th c.). With this visibility, the project opens possibilities of a less controlled and more varied approach to early Chinese texts."